Joseph b



(No Model.)

J. B. MOOS.

GIGAR GUTTER.

No. 402,760. Patented May 7, 1889..

fyi J( mlm I irai i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH B. MOOS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EUGENE VALLENS, OF SAME PLACE.

CIGAR-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,760, dated May 7, 1889. Application filed January 12, 1889. Serial No. 296,142. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. Moos, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cigar-Cutters, of which the following is a specification.

The obj ect of my invention is to make a simple cutter to be used in retail cigar-stores for cutting off the ends of cigars; and the invention consists in the features and combinations hereinafter described and claimed. j

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of my improved cigar-cutter with parts broken off to show the shafts and guides; and Fig. 2, a longitudinal section taken in line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Of the cigar-cutters now manufactured the one most commonly used, and therefore presumably the best, consists of a box provided with a top pivoted at one end and having its opposite end held above the sides of the box by the tension of a spring. As the forward end of the box, which is provided with holes, is pushed down against the tension of the spring the cutting-knife is advanced and the end of the cigar cut off. In order to open the box to empty the ends which have accumulated in it, it is necessary to remove a screw that passes through the stationary end of the box and a slot in the end of its top. A very serious objection to this form of box is that as the top is held up by springftension, and will not work unless it is so held, it gradually becomes worthless as the spring loses its tension, until presently it cannot be used at all and must be thrown aside or repaired by taking out the spring and replacing it by a new one. Another objection is that in use, as the end containing the holes must be depressed in order to advance the knife, the smoker almost invariably bears down on his cigar, and thus often breaks the wrapper and impairs the smoking quality of the cigar. Still another objection is that the ends of the cigars cannot be emptied without the trouble of removing the screw in the end of the box, as above explained. Owing to these objections, the cutter is constantly causing trouble and inconvenience both to smokers and retailers of cigars. My invention is intended to obviate these objections, and also to secure certain advantages that are not secured in the present ordinary style of cigar-cutter.

In making. my improved cigar` cutter I make a box, A, of any shape or size desired, but preferably about two inches wide, three inches deep, and four inches long. This box is provided with a bottom or base, B, hinged to the upright portion-at one end of the box, and connected with it by a clasp, C, at the other end, which clasp, catching or engaging With a stud, enables the box to be readily and easily disconnected at its clasp end and turned back on its hinges. This permits the ends of the cigars which have been cut o in the box to be readily removed from time to time as desired. The capacity of the box to be thus opened on its hinges also permits it to be repaired at any time should any of its parts become disarranged or out of order.

The bottom or base may be extended forward several inches in front of the forward end of the box, and thus insure steadiness in the position and operation of the box, and also afford space for any statement or advertisement that it may be desirable to place thereon.

The box is preferably made of wood, with a metal cover, although it may be made wholly of metal or of any suitable material, as desired. It is provided with a cover containing. holes through which the ends of the cigars may be inserted to be cut off. These holes are also preferably beveled inwardly and of different sizes, so that a greater or less quantity maybe cut off from the mouth end of the cigar, as desired.

Inside the box I arrange a knife, D, with a cutting-edge adapted to readily and easily sever the ends of the cigars. This blade is intended to be of sufficient' Width to pass all of the holes in the top, so that no matter which hole may be used the end of the cigar will be cut off. It is also preferably arranged in ways or guides E, that will insure its advance on a plane immediately beneath the cover of the box, in close contact therewith,

and without frictional contact with the under side of the cover, so that the end of the cigar will be smoothly and evenly cut, and thus avoid any breaking of the tobacco composing IOO the cigar and prevent aragged and unsightly end, I prefer to make the box rectangular in form, although it is obvious that the top of the box may be made slanting, preferably toward the end next to which the customer stands; but whether the top of the box be made horizontal or slanting the cutting-knife is intended to work in guides or ways in close contact therewith.

I preferably arrange lugs or shoulders F on the under side of the blade and run a pivoted lever, Gr, forward from these lugs or shoulders and connect it with another lever, H, pivoted at its end in advance of the cuttingedge of the blade, which extends down toward the bottom of the cigar-cutter. This second lever, which maybe termeda vertical lever, in contradistinction to the one connected to the cutting-blade, which may be termed a horizontal lever, is mounted on a shaft, I, running crosswisc of the cigar cutter. It is rigidly fastened or connected to this shaft, so that as the shaft turns it will move the upper end of the lever back or forth. The upper end of the vertical lever, when the cuttingblade is advanced, will be in its forward position, while when the cutting-blade is retracted it will be in its rearward position. By the term forward I mean the end toward the customer, and by rearward I mea the end farthest from the customer.

In order to retract the cutting-blade, I prefer to provide the cutter-box with a coiled spring, J, which is attached to the vertical lever and in suitable position near its top, and which extends back under the horizon tal lever to a point of connection in the rear end of the box. This coiled spring' may be connected to the vertical lever and to the rear end of the box in any desired manner. Indeed itis not necessary that the spring be a coiled one, as a C or other form of spring that will draw the upper end of the vertical lever back, and so retract the cutting-blade, may be employed.

The shaft on which the vertical lever is arranged is preferably extended out beyond the sides of the box a sufieient distance to aiford means for attaching two handles, K, thereto. These handles are intended to be fastened or keyed to the outer ends of the shaft in such a way that the shaft and the handles will move in unison-that is, when the handles are moved the shaft will be rotated, or when the shaft is rotated the handles will be moved. I prefer to connect the upper ends of the handles together in front of the box and slightly above the top of the same. When thus connected together, they form a convenient means of applying pressure to the handles, and thus rotating the shaft in which the vertical lever is mounted, as above explained. If preferred, but one handle need be used.

When a customer desires to cut off the end of a cigar before lighting, he inserts it into whichever hole in the top of the box he prefers, and then by bearing on the cross-piece connecting the handles mountedY on the shaft depresses their ends, so that the shaft will be partially rotated, the upper end of the vertical lever moved forward, and the cutting-blade advanced. This cross-piece is preferably arranged a little higher than the top of the box, as above explained, so that if the smoker desire-if one of his hands be encumbered or in use-he can bear on the cross-piece with the wrist of the hand holding the cigar, and thus advance the knife with such hand and without pressing downward on the cigar. This may be particularly desirable, in View of the fact, above stated, that as cigar-cutters are now commonly made and used a customer almost invariably bears on his cigar while depressing the top of the cutter in order to advance the knife.

Of course the handles can be pressed down by the other hand, if the smoker so desire; but I prefer to arrange it in such a way that when the cigar is placed in the proper holder it can be depressed by the wrist without bearing on the cigar. After a quantity of cigar ends have accumulated in the box the salesman can readily unolasp the end of the box, which is attached to the bottom by a hasp, as above explained, and instantly empty out the ends and return the box to its former and proper position.

I claiml. In a cigar-cutter, the combination of a box provided with holes in its top, a knife or blade movable forward and backward across the holes, guides or ways in which the knife or blade moves, and by which it is held close to the under side of the holes, and levers for advancing and a spring for retracting the knife or blade, the body of the box being hinged to the base at one end and secured by a clasp at the other, whereby, by pressing the clasp, the body or base may be swung on its hinge to open the box for the removal of cigar ends, substantially as described.

2. In a cigar-cutter, the combination of a box provided with holes in its top, a knife or blade movable forward and backward across the holes, guides or ways in which it is held close to the under side of the holes, levers for advancing and a spring for retracting the knife or blade, and a handle connecting with the levers in position to be depressed by the hand or wrist of the hand holding the cigar in one of the holes, whereby the levers arc operated and the knife or blade advanced, substantially as described.

JOSEPH B. MOOS.

Vitnesses:

EPHRAIM BANNING, H. A. FARNHAM.

IOO

IIO 

